India, Aug. 23 -- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Manikrao Kokate, who was removed as the state agriculture minister earlier this month after a video emerged of him allegedly playing online rummy in the state legislature, has sent a notice to NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar for alleged defamation via false claims.

Kokate said that he was not playing online rummy in the video, as alleged by Pawar in a social media post which was shared widely and led to NCP president and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar taking action against him by changing his portfolio to sports and youth welfare.

The NCP (SP) legislator had defamed him through baseless and malicious allegations, Kokate alleged in the defamation notice sent via a lawyer on ...